Zell Dincht
Zell Dincht is a playable character from Final Fantasy VIII. Zell acts as a foil to the game’s leading protagonist, Squall Leonhart. His loud and energetic personality is meant to balance with Squall’s own cold and silent personality. Zell is a master of hand-to-hand combat and prefers to let his fists guide him out of situations his mouth can’t. Appearance and Personality Zell is very short and slim, something that aggravates him, and has uniquely styled spiky blond hair, bright blue eyes, and is the complete opposite of the game's main character; Squall Leonhart, personality-wise. He is energetic, loud, overconfident in his own abilities, and attempts to make friends with everyone he meets. Also, he is usually in some kind of trouble with either the Disciplinary Committee or the Garden Faculty for breaking the rules; running through the halls, riding T-Boards on Garden premises, etc. It is these characteristics that provide most of the game's comic relief, with some of the other characters mocking Zell's strength and abilities, most specifically Seifer Almasy who insults him relentlessly throughout the course of the game. Though he is sort of an easy target, with his mouth going faster than his brain. .]] Another trait of Zell’s is his undying love for hot dogs (or flavored bread in the Japanese version) from Balamb Garden's cafeteria. It is a running joke, however, reminiscent of many high school themed anime and manga series, that the demand for them is extreme, and there are never any left for Zell by the time he shows up. He does manage to finally get a surplus of them at the end of the game, and immediately starts choking on them from eating too quickly. An important factor in Zell's life is his adoptive (although he is unaware that he is adopted until disk 2) family. He seems to have a close and loving relationship with his mother and is a very prominent figure among Balamb city, as pretty much everyone there knows him. Zell also expresses a deep respect and admiration for his (adoptive) grandfather, who used to be a soldier, and aspires to become just like him (it is hinted that this is his main motivation for wanting to be a SeeD). He even keeps his grandfather's old rifles in his neatly-ordered room. Another important feature of Zell's is that, in a military academy where most people use a certain weapon, Zell chose to use only his hands and feet as weapons. Zell is a consummated martial artist (and somewhat of an acrobat as well), and his skills are unsurpassed by anyone in Garden. Not being one to think things through too much, Zell will not back down from any challenge or confrontation, and will always stand up for what he believes is right, although this does not mean that he's reckless, as he knows his place in a battlefield and follows orders without hesitation. Contrary to what most believe, Zell is actually a model cadet (being one of the four who managed to pass the SeeD exam), and has a deep interest in history and actual events. When arriving to a key location, Zell will offer a quick explanation of the history of the place. Although Zell does not appear to have a romantic relationship with anyone in the game, a minor subplot hints to him having a reciprocal attraction to a girl who works at the Garden's library, and he is seen with her during the game's ending. According to Final Fantasy online, Zell's honor and integrity are prominent features of his character. Early in the game, his behavior certainly fits that idea. Zell becomes furious when Seifer disobeys the orders during the SeeD examination. He also becomes angry with Irvine when the sniper starts "coming on strong" with the girls of the group. When he is captured early in disk two, Zell valiantly defends Quistis and Selphie from the abusive prison guard. In a flashback on disk 3, we get a glimpse of the young SeeD cadets in their daily life. While Seifer is stealing fireworks and Squall is passively going along with it, little Zell finds out their plan and disapproves. He is then called a tattle-tale by Seifer. Zell is also very loyal to his friends and is not afraid of saying so. When Edea is no longer possessed by the sorceress, Zell volunteers to be her escort. Clearly, Zell has an honorable heart. (Though that is not to say that he does not yell, scream, and curse when others do wrong.) Zell wears a black vest with red designing along the zipper, black beater underneath that, long baggy jean shorts, and black and red tennis shoes. He is also very distinguishable by a large black tribal tattoo on the left side of his face. He has been shown wearing his SeeD uniform as well, not appearing to mind doing so as it represents his status as a SeeD, a quality he holds in very high regard. He also is shown wearing the SeeD cadet uniform during the Final Exam, though he wears it with the sleeves rolled up and the jacket halfway unzipped, revealing a white t-shirt underneath, to distinguish himself. Story Zell grew up in the same orphanage as the other main characters where he was constantly picked on by Seifer. Eventually though, he was adopted by the Dincht family from Balamb. He idolized his adoptive grandfather, who was a legendary soldier. Aiming to follow in those footsteps, Zell joined Balamb Garden at the age of 13 to train as a SeeD and follow his dream of becoming like his grandfather. Some would say he tried too hard sometimes, but Zell's skill in hand-to-hand combat was unmatched throughout all of Garden and his reputation became well-known even to those like Squall. Zell makes his first appearance shadow sparring just before the SeeD field exam in Dollet. He is assigned to Squad B, the same group as Squall and Seifer, with Seifer as the squad leader, much to Zell’s chagrin. After an eventful ordeal, Zell passes the exam along with Squall, an energetic transfer student from Trabia they met on the field named Selphie Tilmitt, and another student by the name of Nida. They are congratulated by Headmaster Cid himself and invited to the SeeD’s graduation ceremony where Zell attempts to congratulate Squall and dodges Selphie's advances about joining the Garden Festival Committee. The morning after the inauguration ball; Zell, along with Squall and Selphie, are assigned to another mission in Timber to assist a resistance faction known as the Forest Owls in capturing the President of Galbadia, Vinzer Deling, by means of hijacking his private train. And while their mission ultimately fails due to false intelligence; the three SeeD members are under contract by Cid to assist the Forest Owls until Timber's liberation, a vague order they are less then pleased to follow. Nonetheless, their next mission was to intercept the radio broadcast being delivered by the President which was to be the first live televised broadcast in over seventeen years. However, when Seifer shows up rogue to assassinate the President, Zell accidentally lets slip the fact that they are all from Garden, causing the President to threaten an attack on all Gardens unless he is released immediately and after the Sorceress Edea's timely arrival, he is freed unharmed as Seifer is teleported away. After deciding to convene on the nearest Garden, which in their particular case was Galbadia Garden, Zell becomes fearful for Balamb Garden's safety and asks Squall if they will be okay to which Squall coldly replies that it depends on the strength of the Galbadian army, leaving Zell discouraged and full of shame. In Galbadia Garden however, the group discovers that Seifer's act is being considered independent and that Garden will not be held accountable for it, much to Zell's relief. However, Seifer has been sentenced for execution and though Zell never liked him, he is nonetheless thrown back into sadness at the news. The group is then assigned a new mission from both Headmaster Cid and Galbadia Garden's Headmaster Martine to assassinate the Sorceress who has been declared ambassador of Galbadia and poses immediate threat to the world as a whole. Upon arriving in Deling City, Zell assists the group during the mission as part of the "gateway team" along with Selphie and Quistis while Squall and Irvine Kinneas, a student from Galbadia Garden who specializes in guns, are part of the "sniper team". Though Zell accomplishes his task in the mission to trap the Sorceress between the gates of the bridge the mission itself is a failure and the entire group, save Irvine and Rinoa, are captured. Zell and the others are sent to the D-District Prison where Zell recognizes the place as the location Ward Zabac worked when he was retired from the Galbadian army. Zell had been having dreams about him because of Ellone, a girl with the unique ability to send a persons consciousness back in time and relive moments of another person's life. In Zell's case, it was normally the life of Ward. As Zell realizes this, the group try to escape. Since Zell is the only one able to fight without having any weapons, he volunteers to retrieve the group's weapons from the guards, then, using his knowledge of the Prison, he was able to lead the group through it, retrieving Squall and eventually escaping. Soon after however, they discover that under Sorceress Edea's command, a nearby Galbadian missile silo had attacked Trabia Garden and was planning to launch missiles at Balamb Garden next. The party then splits into two groups with one team heading towards the missile base to try and stop the missiles and the other team giving warning to Balamb Garden of the impending attack. It is some time later, after Balamb Garden becoming mobile and the Galbadian silo being destroyed that the teams are reunited in Fisherman's Horizon via a dysfunctional Galbadian war machine they stole from the exploding missile silo. That night, the group throws a party for Squall in honor of his promotion to Commander where Zell learns how to play an instrument of the player's choice. By morning the Garden is repaired and made even better than before with a much needed piloting mechanism. Their first move is to head back to Balamb Town for supplies and make sure it was not another target for Galbadia. When they arrive however; Zell finds his fears to be realized as Balamb is already under Galbadian occupation and currently under lockdown. Zell and Squall infiltrate it though and after making sure Ma Dincht is unharmed, liberate the small town after defeating Fujin and Raijin, who have both pledged their loyalty to Seifer who was alive and now working under the Sorceress as her knight. Soon after that, Garden travels to Trabia Garden to lend their support. Thanks to Irvine's memory preservation as a result of him never junctioning a Guardian Force; Zell and the others remember their past and that they used to live together (excluding Rinoa) in an orphanage owned by Edea and Cid Kramer. This is where Zell finally becomes aware that he is adopted. Although somewhat surprised to find out that Sorceress Edea used to be their beloved Matron, Zell and the others eventually accept the fact that she is now their enemy. Decisions are then made between the five original orphans to travel to the old orphanage on Centra and hopefully discover more about the Sorceress's power and how to defeat it. However, Balamb Garden is intercepted by similarly mobile Galbadia Garden and the Battle of the Gardens ensues. During the battle Zell takes some leadership and organizes an entire group of SeeD and students to protect the quad. When Squall meets up with him he borrows his Griever ring for Rinoa, who spoke with him about how much she liked it and gives it to her upon their next meeting for safekeeping. He tells her that he will make one exactly like it for her so that she can "become a lion" like Squall. Zell and the others fight off Galbadian forces until finally; they are forced face their former matron, Sorceress Edea Kramer. . Zell reclining upper right.]] Upon her defeat Zell and the others discover that Rinoa has fallen into a coma-like state and that Edea has been released from the control of an evil Sorceress from the future named Ultimecia. Edea reveals that the Sorceress's ultimate goal is Time Compression, a spell compressing all of time into a singular moment, which is something only Ultimecia will be able to survive and will allow her to recreate the world how she sees fit. Everyone becomes deeply concerned over Rinoa's condition (especially Squall) but at the behest of Edea, decides to search for Ellone. When the White SeeD tell them that she is in Esthar, Squall docks Garden against Horizon Bridge and ventures alone, the hundreds of miles with Rinoa on his back so that Ellone may bring them together again. However, Zell and the others beat him to the continent in Garden and berate him for not trusting in his friends. The reunited group locates the invisible domain, Esthar City and eventually discovers Ellone to be in the Estharian space station, Lunar Base, which orbits the planet in the same scope as the moon. Squall and one other party member travel into space with Rinoa's body from the Lunar Gate while Zell volunteers to protect Edea, who still believes herself to be a threat so long as she can be controlled by Ultimecia. The former Sorceress welcomes Zell's protection, stating that it gives her a sense of security. From here Zell and Edea head back to the city to see Dr. Odine, a scientist famous for his invention of Junctioning and Para-Magic as well as sealing the evil tyrant, Sorceress Adel, more then seventeen years ago. When they arrive at his lab they learn of the Lunatic Pandora, a monstrous, hovering black monolith looming closer to the city with each passing moment. Zell and Dr. Odine get into an argument about time constraints before an overzealous Zell leads the team in an attempt to board the machine before Dr. Odine can finish explaining its capabilities. However, they are repelled by some kind of invisible force as the colossal structure continues to proceed over a location known as Tears' Point. Edea is the only one to realize it to be the Lunar Cry. After it is discovered that Rinoa has become a Sorceress and Squall and Rinoa return from space, the team goes back to their old orphanage for a safe haven where Zell tells Squall how much he’s changed since meeting Rinoa. With the help of the President of Esthar Laguna Loire and Dr. Odine, the team returns and comes up with a plan for defeating Sorceress Ultimecia once and for all. They use the newly acquired Ragnarok spaceship to invade the Lunatic Pandora where Zell aids in fighting through Raijin and Fujin while also assisting in the defeat of Sorceress Adel who has recently been possessed by Ultimecia. Afterward, Ultimecia succeeds in casting Time Compression by using Ellone to send her consciousness even further back into time and allowing her to exist in all past, present, and future simultaneously. However, since the spell is not instantaneous and takes time to cast, Zell and the others survive the effects by believing strongly in each others existences. This allows them to travel to the future where Ultimecia awaits and destroy her before Time Compression completes itself. The story ends at midnight over a vast ocean where Balamb Garden is holding their Garden Festival in honor of Ultimecia's demise and the preservation of life, time, and SeeD. During the party, Zell is found talking with his love interest, simply known as the Library Girl with a Pigtail, and stuffing his face with a plethora of hot dogs (flavored bread) that he has finally managed to get his hands on. This causes him to choke on them, so Selphie, Quistis, and the girl have to slap his back until he is able to swallow. A recovered Zell is nevertheless apparently peeved by this and the three girls playfully flee as he tries to give chase before he notices that Irvine has recorded the ordeal and throws a piece of bread at the camera. In Battle Weapons Zell uses gloves to augment his hand-to-hand fighting prowess. Depending on the particular gloves he wears, Zell’s weapons can increase his attack power and hit accuracy as well as how much damage he does with his Limit Break, Duel. There are four glove models available for Zell to use throughout the course of the game. They are: Gloves *'Metal Knuckle' – Already obtained. *'Maverick' – Obtain Weapons Monthly, April Issue. *'Gauntlet' – Obtain Weapons Monthly, June Issue. *'Ehrgeiz' – Obtain Weapons Monthly, August Issue. Limit Breaks Duel is Zell's Limit Break in Final Fantasy VIII. To use the limit successfully, groups of button sequences appear on the screen and as many as possible must be inputted in the allotted time. The time allotted is between 4 and 12 seconds, depending on random factors and how low Zell’s HP is and whether or not he is inflicted with status ailments, and if he is under the influence of Aura. Zell's limits are believed to be the strongest, because the button formations are quick and he can manage large amounts of hits. After the time allotted has expired, and assuming the player punched in the proper techniques, Zell will perform one of his finishers. Zell can learn new limit breaks by reading the Combat King Magazine. Finishers *'Burning Rave' – Already known. *'Meteor Barret' - Combat King 003 *'Different Beat' - Combat King 004 *'My Final Heaven' - Combat King 005 Triple Triad Card Match After Balamb Garden becomes mobile, Zell becomes available to challenge to a match of Triple Triad. When not in Squall's party he frequents the Balamb Garden lobby just outside the Library, this is where he can be challenged. You can also challenge Ma Dincht to a match of Triple Triad whilst Zell is in the party. She will sometimes use his card. Creation and Development Zell’s design was achieved with the notion in mind that he would look and act exactly like the main character of a (Japanese comic-books intended primarily for teenage boys). The outrageously spiky hair, his boyishly styled outfit, and his comedic though confident personality are all reminiscent of the main qualities the protagonist of these particular comics usually exhibit. According to the Final Fantasy VIII Official Strategy Guide, this concept is reflected by all of Zell's neighbors in the town of Balamb, who genuinely refer to him as a "comic-bookish type of superhero." The inspiration for the tattoo on his face came from an music video that featured a man with a full body tattoo resembling tribal origin and design. It also bears a remarkable resemblance to facial tattoo. Other Appearances ''Pocket Station Memorycard Icons'' An icon sprite of Zell appears in the Pocket Station memorycard file manager. Etymology Zell's name may derive from the Germanic names "Zellmer" or "Zellmeyer", or quite possibly from the numerous city districts located throughout Germany of the same name. "Zell" is also a common last name used in the country. The last name "Dincht" is also German in origin, deriving from the word "Dink". Trivia *While Zell does not appear in the Kingdom Hearts series, the original character Hayner greatly resembles him, and may be based on him. Not only that, but he shares a rivalry with the game's incarnation of Seifer. *Zell's birthday, March 17, is a real-world holiday: St. Patrick's Day, a widely known Irish celebration. *When the game was first being developed, Zell's name may have been "Xell." On the back cover of the PAL version of the game, there is a screenshot of Ifrit, and beneath him, a name called "Xell." Why his name was changed is unknown, but may be because "Zell" seemed easier to pronounce, or because Squaresoft already had a character with a name beginning with an X (Xu). However, in the German version of the game, "Zell" is called "Xell" (while Xu is called "Shou"). *In the English translation of the game, Zell loves eating hot dogs. However, in the ending FMV he is seen to be eating Japanese flavored bread instead. This is because in the original Japanese Zell's favorite food was flavored bread, not hot dogs. *During Zell's intro FMV the SeeD symbol seen behind him has been flipped. *Zell owns a T-Board, a device similar to a , but with no wheels, instead hovering at low altitudes. It was confiscated from him by the Garden Faculty in its first appearance. The T stands for Turbo. de:Xell Dincht es:Zell Dincht it:Zell Dincht pl:Zell Dincht ru:Зелл Динч Thể_loại:Nhân vật điều khiển được trong Final Fantasy VIII Thể_loại:Monk